Reconfigurable audiovisual previewing system and method of operation

ABSTRACT

A reconfigurable audiovisual previewing system includes a user interface module, a media communications module, and a plurality of application programs. One of the plurality of application programs is selected and configures the interface module to identify the product of interest. The selected application program also configures the media communications module to transmit, in response to the product&#39;s identification, a request for related product information stored in said multimedia server, and to receive and play the product information retrieved from said multimedia file server in response to said transmitted request.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL AND RELATED APPLICATIONS

This invention claims priority from a provisional application entitled“DIGITAL DEPARTMENT SYSTEM”, Ser. No. 60/055,708, filed Aug. 8, 1997,having Michael Stern as inventor, and having as assignee PICS Previews,Inc., the assignee of the present invention. This provisionalapplication is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety and forall purposes.

This application is also related to the following commonly-owned,concurrently filed patent applications:

patent application Ser. No. 09/130,900, filed Aug. 7, 1998, entitled“DIGITAL DESIGN DEPARTMENT,” still pending;

patent application Ser. No. 09/130,899, filed Aug. 7, 1998, entitled“AUDIOVISUAL CONTENT DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,366,914;and

patent application Ser. No. (to be assigned), filed Aug. 7, 1998,entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING AUDIOVISUAL CONTENT,” ,still pending.

All of these applications are assigned to PICS Previews, Inc., theassignee of the present invention, and are hereby incorporated herein byreference, in their entirety and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a system and methods forpreviewing audiovisual information, and more particularly to areconfigurable system and methods for previewing audiovisual informationthereon related to a product of interest in a commercial environment.

Commercial television and radio have been recognized as a powerful andefficient medium for broadcasting advertising and entertainment contentto a large audience. As a result, television and radio havetraditionally garnered a major share of advertising budgets. However,due to a variety of factors, advertising revenues for these mediaoutlets have been dropping over the past several years, a trend which isexpected to continue. One major drawback of television and radioadvertising is the failure of these media to do more than deliver alarge number of impressions to a large and relatively undifferentiatedaudience. Advertising dollars are ineffectively spent on messages thatreach the wrong audiences under the wrong circumstances. Further,national network television is not well suited for products or serviceswhich are only locally or regionally available. The total cost ofmultiple regional campaigns to address such issues on local televisionor radio stations, for example, will often equal or exceed that of anational program.

Point of purchase advertising represents an alternative to broadcastingproduct information to the general public. In point-of-purchaseadvertising, the customer identifies a particular product of interestand is subsequently provided with advertisement and other productinformation at the point of purchase. This system provides a moretargeted approach to the delivery of advertisement and entertainmentcontent since the customer is actively seeking the information relatedto an identified product.

The aforementioned concurrently filed patent applications provides animproved system which can collect and transmit advertisements,promotional information, content, and other information concerning theproduct of interest to the customer at the point of purchase. What isneeded is a listening post which can present this informationinteractively to the customer upon the identification of the product ofinterest. Further needed is a listening post which can be reconfiguredto provide a variety of functions useful to the listening post'sproprietor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides for a reconfigurable audiovisualpreviewing system which allows the perspective customer to selectivelypreview tracks of CDs, clips from motion pictures, computer games andprograms and other product media stored in a multimedia server once theproduct of interest has been identified, for instance by scanning theproduct's UPC code. Pre-recorded promotional information, demonstrationsand advertisements of the product or related products may also bepresented, either upon the product's identification or at predeterminedtimes without customer interaction.

In one embodiment, the reconfigurable audiovisual previewing systemincludes a user interface module, a media communications module, and aplurality of application programs. One of the plurality of applicationprograms is selected and configures the interface module to identify theproduct of interest. The selected application program also configuresthe media communications module to transmit, in response to theproduct's identification, a request for related product informationstored in said multimedia server, and to receive and play the productinformation retrieved from said multimedia file server in response tosaid transmitted request.

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the presentinvention may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of thespecification and the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of the listening post inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates the application module of the listening post inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the listening post hardware designin accordance with the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates the listening post configured as a CD playbackstation in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates the program/driver interface of the listen post whenconfigured as a CD playback station in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the CD playbackstation in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates the listening post when configured as an end-capkiosk I/O station in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the I/O station inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates the program/driver interface of the I/O station inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates the LP station configured to operate as a CD LANstation 1020 in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the CD LAN station1020 in accordance with the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Contents

I. System Overview

II. Listening Post Software

III. Listening Post Hardware Design

IV. Exemplary Listening Post Configurations

A. CD Playback Station

B. End-Cap Kiosk I/O Station

C. CD LAN Station

I. System Overview

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of the interactiveaudiovisual previewing system 100 (hereinafter referred to as a“Listening Post” or “LP station”). The LP station 100 is designed toprovide audio and/or video information to the customer. In oneembodiment, the LP station 100 operates interactively to allow thecustomer to preview portions of a variety of products, including (butnot limited to) motion picture recordings, audio recordings, computerprograms, financial services, travel packages, or other selectedproducts. In another embodiment, the LP station 100 provides promotionalinformation and/or advertisements. In this embodiment, the LP station100 may operate interactively upon identification of the customer'sproduct of interest, or non-interactively by presenting pre-scriptedaudio and/or video information.

In one embodiment, the LP station 100 includes a user interface 110, amedia communications module 120, a display 130, and a LP stationapplication module 200. The user interface 110 is used to identify theproduct of interest and control the playback of the informationcorresponding thereto. The user interface 110 preferably includes aUniversal Price Code (UPC) barcode reader, such as those manufactured bySymbol, Inc., along with the required interfaces and drivers, toidentify the product of interest. Other embodiments may includemouse/trackball selectors, alpha-numeric keyboards/pads, touch sensitivescreens, virtual selectors, as well as other input selection devices.

The user interface 110 may further include control buttons forcontrolling the playback of the retrieved information. For instance, ina station for previewing audio Compact Disks (CDs) or motion pictures,control buttons such as forward, reverse, play, and +/− volume buttonsmay be implemented. Alternatively, some or all of these control buttonsmay be absent in a non-interactive previewing station that providespre-scripted promotional information or advertisements.

Once the product has been identified, a media communications module 120transmits a request to a multimedia server (not shown) to retrieveinformation corresponding to the identified product of interest. Themedia communications module 120 may employ a wired or wirelesscommunication technique. The retrieved information may be directlycontrolled by the customer. For instance, a specific audio or videotrack from a CD or motion picture may be played in response to thecustomer's input. Alternatively, the retrieved information may beautomatically selected based upon the identified product of interest,for instance, promotional information or advertisements corresponding tothe selected product.

In response to the transmitted request, the multimedia server providesthe requested information to the LP station via the media communicationmodule 120 for example. In one embodiment, the media communicationsmodule includes a duplex networking path such as a TCP/IP connectionestablished via an ethernet connection. The link may be wired orwireless. Alternatively, separate transmit and receive channels may beimplemented to transmit the request and receive the product information.The retrieved information may be transmitted in compressed form to allowfor greater bandwidth and faster communication data rates. Dependingupon the LP station's configuration, the requested information may beprocessed and presented to the customer locally at the LP station or,re-transmitted to a remote location, as described in greater detailbelow.

A display 130 communicates with the user interface module 110 and themedia communications module 120, displaying text and/or graphicsassociated with and describing the product of interest. The display 130may, for instance, consist of a flat panel 2 line, 20 characteralpha-numeric text display. Other display terminals, such as fullgraphic display terminals may also be used. The aforementioned controlbuttons may be incorporated within the display terminal.

II. Listening Post Software

FIG. 2 illustrates the organization of the station's application module200. A processor initialization module 210 configures the CPU peripheralcontroller registers internal timers, interrupt controller, and othersubsystems. A root program 220 initializes the network stack, requestsan IP address for the booted LP station, and loads the appropriateapplication program. The root program 220 is preferably stored in the LPstation's non-volatile memory store. Non-violatile memory may be, forexample, Flash ROM. Alternatively, it could be downloaded upon boot-upor installed via diskettes.

In one embodiment, the application module includes a MPEG audioapplication program 230, an end-cap kiosk I/O application program 240,and a wireless router program 250. Other embodiments may contain alarger or smaller number of application programs. As will be describedin greater detail below, each application program allows for a differentLP station configuration. Each application program manages all user I/Odata, gathers statistics for playback activity, and contains anyrequired I/O drivers and functional performance code within its codedownload. The applications programs 230, 240, and 250 are preferablystored in a volatile memory store such as DRAM memory. Alternatively,files associated with the application could be downloaded separately, orthe entire package (application and associated files) could bedownloaded and unpackaged using a utility such as the PKZIP™ program orUNIX™ tar program.

The LP station 100 may use any networking protocol as its communicationsbackbone. In one embodiment, a TCP/IP protocol stack is used. The TCP/IPprotocol stack serves as the backbone of the network for audio and datafile communications. More preferably, a networking protocol is usedwhich contains a set of tools and run time support for the network filesystem (NFS) protocol, one example being Wind River System's VxWorks™.These systems allows the LP station to open files directly on themultimedia server without actually having to transfer the requisitefiles from the multimedia server to the LP station 100.

III. Listening Post Hardware Design

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the LP station's hardware design.The station's hardware includes a CPU unit 310, a multimedia playback IC320, an ethernet controller 330, a RJ45 transformer 340, an I/Ocontroller 350, a RS232 level shifter 360, an audio amplifier 370, andvolatile and non-volatile memory stores 380 and 390. The components arelocated on a single printed circuit (PC) board. In alternativeembodiments, multi-layer PC boards may be used.

In one embodiment, the CPU 310 consists of a high-performance CPU, suchas the National Semiconductor embedded CPU NS486SXF. The NS486SXFcontains most peripheral sections to reduce the total parts count of theboard and contains many features which reduce glue logic. Table Iillustrates eight internal chip select pins available with the NS486SXFwhich may be utilized to reduce the glue logic. Of course, other CPUscould be used.

TABLE I Chip Select Pin Application System FLASH ROM 256/512 Kbytes × 8bit System DRAM SIMM module, 2/4/8 Mbytes × 32 bit Ethernet I/O CS8900Ethernet controller Multimedia Playback I/O CS4922 MPEG audiodecoder/driver PC/104 Extension I/O PCMCIA/PC104 extension selectOnboard Extension I/O On board I/O extension circuit LCD displayread/write I/O LCD display I/O Expansion IC Expansion I/F, 2 Serialports, 1 Parallel port, IDE, FDC

In one embodiment, the multimedia playback IC 320 is the CrystalSemiconductor audio decoder CS4922. The CS4922 is self-contained andrequires only a simple software driver. Other multimedia decoders may beused, but preferably have the following features:

1. Onboard DSP with RAM based microcode storage.

2. MPEG-1 & 2, Layer 1 & 2 decode.

3. Packetized Audio stream synchronization.

4. Onboard decode RAM.

5. Internal volume/mute stereo controls.

6. Simple connection to the NS486SXF/CPU.

Audio MPEG data may be fed to the IC 320 via two serial pins that areprogrammed as software shift registers. IC 320 has an internal buffermemory and loads data packets fast enough to allow the device to playfor several seconds with out further service by the CPU unit 310. IC 320has an integrated interface controller (I²C) that allows CPU unit 310 tocommunicate using a serial bus (not shown). IC 320 can be initializedand its microcode loaded via a serial input, for example. I²C isdirectly provided by the NS486SXF CPU unit as an internal peripheralfunction.

Ethernet controller 330 is used to provide networking capabilities and,in one embodiment, is the Crystal Semiconductor CS8900. Other ICs couldbe employed with equal success, of course. In one embodiment, ethernetcontroller 330 provides the following features:

1. Onboard Memory Manger for packet storage.

2. Onboard EEP controller for physical Ethernet address storage.

3. Boot strap detect for future use as BOOT/TFTP startup.

4. Onboard packet I/O RAM.

5. Simple connection to RJ45 transformer.

6. LED net I/O indicators.

7. Direct connection to an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus.

8. Simple connection to CPU unit 310.

A RJ45 transformer 340 is used to provide connectivity to a RJ45 networkport, which in one embodiment consists of a 10BaseT connection.

In an exemplary embodiment, the LP station includes an integrated I/Ocontroller 350 connected to one or more floppy disk controller(s) 398.The I/O controller 350 can be used to support two serial ports inaddition to those supported by the NS486SXF, additional parallel ports,and an IDE hard drive. A RS232 level shifter 360 is implemented toconvert voltage levels before outputting to serial DB25 connections 399.Volatile and non-volatile memory stores 380 and 390 are preferablyimplemented as Flash ROM and DRAM memories, respectively.

A bar code reader 391 is connected to an internal serial port within theNS486SXF CPU unit 310. An initialization module can be used to reloadthe reader configuration parameters on boot-up to ensure the reader isready and in the proper configuration.

A display 392 may be connected to the CPU in several ways, an example ofwhich includes using a communications protocol having 4 bits of data andone strobe bit. These bits can be programmed as general purpose I/O TTLlines or as specialized LCD data out/refresh pins for a graphic displayattached to the NS486SXF.

An optional PCMCIA and/or PC104 connect 395 may be provided to permitconnection to various processing system elements. The PCMCIA slot mayuse, for instance, a Type 1 or 2 card. This card can be a modem,non-volatile memory, RAM, hard drive, cell/wireless communication orother device. A RF modem may be plugged into this slot to allow wirelessoperation.

Analog audio signals for right and left are amplified andgain-controlled by the NS486 via the I²C two-wire control port and theCS4922 chip. Other methods of controlling the audio signals in thepresent system will be apparent to one skilled in the art. The designmay utilize, for example, a fixed gain buffer amplifier 370 to drive thehead phones or small speakers 396.

The hardware of the LP station has now been described for providingpreviews of audio CD, but the LP station may be equipped to provideother types of media as well. In other embodiments, the LP station 100may provide previews of motion pictures, computer programs or games, orother media forms in which the customer is interested. In addition, theLP station 100 may be equipped to provide promotional information and/orproduct advertisements, either interactively once the product has beenidentified or non-interactively through pre-scripted clips.

IV. Exemplary Listening Post Configurations

The aforementioned hardware architecture allows the LP station to beconfigured in a number of ways depending upon the type of applicationprogram executed. In one embodiment, the LP station may be configured asa CD playback station, an end-cap kiosk I/O station, or a CD LANstation, all of which are described below.

CD Playback Station

FIG. 4 illustrates the LP station configured as a CD playback station400. In this configuration, the CD playback station 400 providesinteractive, local playback of selected audio CD tracks in response tocustomer's selections. Promotional and/or advertisement informationcorresponding to the selected product may be also provided. The CDplayback station 400 includes a user interface 410, a CD playerapplication program 600, a display terminal 430, a media communicationsmodule 440, a station O/S 450, and PC board electronics 490, oneembodiment of which is shown in FIG. 3. The user interface 410 includesa barcode reader driver 411, a barcode reader 412, and user buttons 413.The display terminal 430 preferably consists of a 2-line, 20 characterLCD display. The media communications module 440 includes a MPEG audioplayer/driver 442 and a TCP/IP network path 444. PC board electronics490 include an embedded CPU, RAM and ROM memory, as described in FIG. 3.For purposes of illustration, the MPEG audio player (located on the PCboard) is shown in combination with the MPEG driver as an MPEG audioplayer/driver 442. It will be understood that the with minormodifications to the LP station's hardware and software, the station mayalternatively, or in addition provide processing and playback of videodata as well.

During operation, a customer uses the barcode reader 412 to scan anaudio CD 406. Once the UPC is scanned and the product identified, the CDplayer application program 600 retrieves the associated audio files fromthe multimedia server 460. In addition, general information may beretrieved to the LCD display 430. A predetermined number of audio clipsmay be stored for each UPC code and played as directed by the customer.Each scanned UPC and track play may be stored and time stamped forretrieval by the CD playback station 400.

The requested audio files are retrieved through the TCP/IP network path444. In response, the MPEG audio player/driver 442 processes and playsthe requested audio files through headset 445. The MPEG audioplayer/driver 442 may be fed data from several sources, but preferablydata is fed via a direct connection to the NS486 bus, described above.The MPEG audio player/driver 442 may play data from local DRAM storageas it arrives from the network under program control, or may take inputdata from another location (e.g., a hard disk or zip drive connected tothe CD playback station). The MPEG audio player/driver 442 may containan on-board volume control, controlled by commands received via an I²Cserial bus connection.

The CD playback station 440 may begin playing content from themultimedia server 460 immediately upon receipt of the first audiopacket, with the remaining packets being streamed in as it is bufferedand played. Alternatively, play of the audio files may be delayed untilthe entire audio file is downloaded from the server to the LP station.The audio clips may continue to be downloaded into a buffer as theinitial audio clip plays. If the user plays the same CD repetitively,audio may be provided from a local buffer. Local buffer data ispreferably only deleted (i.e., the buffer space re-used) when space isrequired for new incoming data for another CD title.

The playback volume level is preferably pre-set after a predeterminedtime has elapsed. This is so that the last user's volume setting is notinadvertently used for the next user. The user may increase or decreasethe volume locally via a volume up/down push button. The local processormakes the required adjustment to the MPEG audio decoder/player 442. TheCD playback station 400 includes the option of muting the output if thenetwork stream data fails to deliver the requested content on time.

The LCD display terminal 430 displays the tracks requested and/orplayed. Control buttons 413 are used to select the order and volume ofthe requested tracks. The CD playback station 400 includes an operatingsystem (O/S) 450 used to run the various station tasks and tocommunicate with the multimedia file server 460. Communication to themultimedia file server 460 is preferably via a 10BaseT ethernetconnection 470 and TCP/IP protocol, although any suitable networkprotocol hardware may be employed.

FIG. 5 illustrates the program/driver interface of the CD playbackstation 400. The interface is divided into three layers which are the CDplayer application program 600, program interfaces 521-529, and devicedrivers 531-539.

The CD player application program 600 communicates with the variousdrivers to retrieve, process, and output the requested productinformation. In one embodiment, a serial driver 531 is committed to thebar code (UPC) scanner 540. Parallel drivers 533 and 535 are committedto the user button and the LCD drivers 523 and 525, respectively. An I²Cdriver 539 is employed to communicate with the MPEG decoder 560.

Several interfaces are implemented to facilitate program control. AUPC_INPUT interface 521 initializes and manages the bar code readerdevice via a serial port driver. It reads in an entire UPC data packet,formats it as a message and sends it to the application program forprocessing. This module is configured to periodically activate the laserscanner for product detection.

A User_Button interface 523 scans and detects contact closures forbuttons 555 on the parallel port. Contact closures are formatted intopredefined messages and sent to the application program for processing.

A LCD_Display interface 525 receives string data for presentation on thedisplay 550. The interface may further scroll text on a timed basis withas many lines as sent to it. Special effects methods may be providedwhich allow a remote operator to control the display for each CD withhorizontal, vertical, flashing effects for any selected string. Othereffects and functionality may also be provided, such as the display ofgraphics. This control method could be in the form of ESC code sequencesin a manner such as ANSI terminal control standards.

An MPEG file player interface 527 transfers MPEG encoded files to thedevice for decoding and playing. A simulated serial port driver 537 maybe used to handle shifting MPEG data to the decoder. A hardware shiftregister option may be added to reduce the CPU's burden of loading MPEGaudio data into the decoder IC.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of the operation ofthe CD playback station 400. Initially at step 605, the CD playerapplication program 600 is loaded and the LP station is configured tothe CD playback station 400, described above. Next at step 610, a CD 406is scanned and its UPC code received. Upon receiving the UPC code, theCD playback station 400 accesses the multimedia server's file structurevia network file system (NFS) to read the CD's information file,statistics file, and the MPEG audio file (step 615). The informationfile may be used to load the LCD display with the opening text for theCD and then as the first track begins to play show the song title andtrack number (step 620).

At step 625, the CD playback station 400 begins reading and bufferingMPEG audio data and feeding it to the MPEG file player 527 as blocks areassembled in the station's local memory. The CD playback station 400continues reading audio data from the multimedia server 460 as directedin the information file section. The audio CD LP station 400 may beconfigured to automatically play the first track of the scanned CD orplay a selected track. As the song plays, the user may adjust playbackvolume by +/− buttons and advance or rewind to the next available track.All track plays and movement are preferably recorded in the statisticsfile of the LP station (step 630). Each LP station preferably has it'sown directory for statistics and configuration information.

The CD playback station 400 is capable of buffering MPEG audio datauntil a different CD's UPC is scanned. Additional plays of the same CDthus need not read files from the server. If the user selects adifferent track (step 640), the CD playback station 400 plays MPEG audiodata from its local memory if the clip is present. If the track is notpresent within local memory, the audio data is retrieved from themultimedia file server 460, as shown in step 645.

Once the application program detects the end of a CD data set (step 650)and after a predetermined time-out period, the LCD display is cleared toa predetermined message and the station's volume is reset to apredetermined level (step 655). The application program may also updatethe statistics file with the latest statistics collected. If enoughsystem memory is present, the application program may provides thecapability of buffering several CD's of data and maintaining a simpledata structure to be searched first upon UPC code scans.

The station's configuration is not limited to playback of audio CDs andmay present video, audio/video or other forms of media as well motionpicture previews and other audiovisual information (e.g., productdemonstrations, entertainment, news, and the like) with minormodifications in the station's hardware and application programming.

End-Cap Kiosk I/O Station

FIG. 7 illustrates the LP station when configured as an end-cap kioskI/O station 700 (hereinafter referred to as an “I/O station”). In thisconfiguration, the I/O station provides interactive, remote playback ofselected audio CD tracks in response to the customer's selections.Promotional and/or advertisement information corresponding to theselected product may be also provided. The I/O station 700 includes auser interface 710, an I/O application program 800, a display terminal730, a media communications module 740, and PC board electronics 790,one embodiment of which is shown in FIG. 3. The user interface 710includes a barcode reader driver 711, a barcode reader 712, and userbuttons 713. The display terminal 730 consists of a 2-line, 20 characteralphanumeric display. The media communications module consists of aTCP/IP networking path, but does not utilize playback hardware orsoftware if it is so equipped. PC board electronics 790 includes a CPU,RAM, and ROM memory stores, as described in FIG. 3.

The I/O station 700 operates similarly to the audio CD playback station400, one difference being that audiovisual information retrieved fromthe multimedia server 770 is routed via the I/O station 700 to anend-cap 750. The end-cap 750 may include a PC player 752, TV monitor754, and headphones 756. Communication with the end-cap 750 may be via aserial LAN 760 with direct wired connection and PPP(point-to-point-protocol) and TCP/IP, although any suitable method ofcommunicating between the end-cap 750 and I/O station 700 may beemployed. Network communications techniques, such as streaming, may beimplemented. Of course, the I/O station's operation is not limited toprocessing audio data only. When appropriately equipped, the I/O station700 may alternatively, or in addition provide video data processing aswell.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of the operation ofthe I/O station 700. Initially at step 805, the I/O application program800 is loaded and the I/O station 700 is configured to the I/O station700, as described above. Once configured, the I/O station 700 connectsto the end-cap PC 752 (which may be defined in the configuration file)via a networking connection, such as a TCP/IP socket (step 810). Theend-cap PC 752 may be defined in the configuration file, or may beselected in another manner, e.g., by searching the network and accessingthose end-caps responding. The TCP/IP connection may be established viaan ethernet connection, but other networking methods may be employed aswell.

Next at step 815, an I/O stream is opened and maintained with theend-cap software. The stream may have basic command functions suchidentifying the UPC of the scanned product and polling the state of theuser buttons. Additionally, the stream may have extended functions, suchas indicating product and price for non-A/V items (i.e., items that arenot audio or video recordings), or presenting a demonstration of thoseitems.

Several stream messages are passed between the I/O station 700 and theend-cap PC 752. In one embodiment, a UPC_PACKET message is sent when aUPC code is scanned (step 820). The end-cap PC 752 in response retrievesaudio, video and information files corresponding to the scanned UPC andprepares to play them (step 825). The end-cap PC 752 replies with anacknowledgement and whether the identified product has any associatedvideo information (step 830). If video information is present, The I/Ostation 700 retrieves the LCD data and issues a PLAY_NOW command tostart things rolling in a coordinated fashion (step 835). If videoinformation is not present, the end-cap PC sends a message to the I/Ostation 700 to play the audio file as it normally would.

Steps 840-865 of the I/O application program proceeds in much the sameway as steps 605-655 of the CD player application program 600 shown inFIG. 6. The I/O station 700 plays track-to-track unless a forward orreverse button is pressed, in which case the I/O station 700 sends amessage indicating this (that the FWD_TRACK or REV_TRACK button waspressed) to the end-cap PC 752. If the user changes volume, the I/Ostation 700 issues either a VOL_UP or a VOL_DOWN message as needed. Theend-cap PC 752 can be configured to set it's volume to a preset valuewhen a STOP_CLEAR message is issued. The PLAY_NOW message normallyissues after the FWD_TRACK or REV_TRACK messages, to keep the LCD 722coordinated with the sound and video display streams. The I/O station700 records each user UPC and track play information with a time stampin a data file for retrieval by the system. Alternatively, the end-capPC 752 or the multimedia server 770 can maintain this information.

FIG. 9 illustrates the program/driver interface of the I/O station 700.The I/O station's program/driver interface operates and is structuredsimilarly to the CD playback station's program/driver interface shown inFIG. 5, a difference being that I/O application program does not utilizethe MPEG playback and control interfaces 927 and 929, or connectingdevice drivers 937 and 939. The UPC_INPUT, User_Button Scanner, and LCDDisplay program interfaces 921, 923, and 925 and device drivers 931,933, and 935 operate as described in FIG. 5.

CD LAN Station

FIG. 10 illustrates the LP station configured to operate as a CD LANstation 1020. The CD LAN station 1020 serves as a connection between themultimedia file server 1010 and other stations 1030 to communicate CDdata therebetween. Stations 1030 may include other LP stations, end-capkiosk I/O stations, or sales islands. Each of the connections may bewireless or hardwired.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 10, the CD LAN station 1020includes a media communication module 1022, a CD LAN application program1024, a station O/S 1026, and PC board electronics 1028, one embodimentof which is shown in FIG. 3. A user interface, such as a barcode readeror keypad, is not required since the station in this configurationoperates as a data repeater.

The media communications module 1022 operates to transmit and receivecommands, data, and audio files to and from the multimedia file server1010 and the stations 1030. In one embodiment, the media communicationsmodule 1022 consists of a wireless RF modem (not shown) forcommunicating with the multimedia server 1010 and a TCP/IP 10BaseTEthernet connection between the CD LAN station 1020 and the stations1030.

The CD LAN application program controls the RF modem, in one embodimentthrough a serial I/O driver 1023 using, for example, point-to-pointprotocol (PPP). The aforementioned drivers and program interfacesdescribed in FIGS. 5 and 9 are not required during this configurationand are preferably disabled.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of the operation ofthe CD LAN station 1020. Initially at step 1105, the CD LAN applicationprogram 1024 is loaded and the LP station is configured to the CD LANstation 1020, described above. Next at step 1110, the CD LAN station102000 begins communicating commands, such as the UPC_PACKET message andPLAY_NOW, and MPEG audio CD data between the multimedia server 1010 andthe stations 1030. The CD LAN station's internal RAM and ROM memorystores may provide additional data buffering. A communication link isterminated when the CD LAN station 1020 receives a message todiscontinue transmission, as shown in steps 1130 and 1135.

The station's configuration is not limited to transmission and receptionof audio data. With minor modifications in the described stationhardware and programming the station could communicate video,audio/video or other forms of media as well motion picture previews andother audiovisual information (e.g., product demonstrations,entertainment, news, and the like).

The present invention provides for a audiovisual previewing system andmethod of operation. While the invention has been described withreference to specific embodiments, these embodiments are not exhaustiveof the scope of the invention. Upon reading this document it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that minor changes in form anddetail may be made without departing from the present invention, thescope of which is determined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A reconfigurable audiovisual previewing systemfor providing product information related to a product of interest froma multimedia server to a customer, the reconfigurable audiovisualpreviewing system comprising: a user interface module configured toidentify said product of interest; a media communications module coupleto said user interface module and a network management center thatcreates files with product information for distribution only to selectedend clients, said media communications module configured to transmit, inresponse to said identification, a request for said product informationstored in said multimedia server and to receive and play said productinformation retrieved from said multimedia file server and distributedto the selected end clients in response to said transmitted request,said media communications module including an MPEG audio player; and aplurality of application programs, wherein, in response to execution ofone of said application programs, said reconfigurable previewing systemis configured to communicate said product information and productinformation of a second product to said customer, the second productrelated to the product of interest.
 2. The reconfigurable audiovisualpreviewing system of claim 1, wherein said multimedia communicationsmodules comprises an audiovisual playback circuit configured to receiveand present said product information.
 3. The reconfigurable audiovisualpreviewing system of claim 2, further comprising a display modulecoupled to said user interface and to said media communications module,said display terminal configured to display a portion of said productinformation.
 4. The reconfigurable audiovisual previewing system ofclaim 1, wherein said user interface module comprises a barcode readerconfigured to scan a UPC corresponding to said product on interest, andin response, to transmit a formatted message to said applicationprogram.
 5. The reconfigurable audiovisual previewing system of claim 4,wherein said user interface module further comprises a plurality ofcontrol buttons configured to detect depression thereon and, inresponse, to transmit a formatted messages to said application program.6. The reconfigurable audiovisual previewing system of claim 5, whereinsaid multimedia communications module further comprises a TCP/IP networkdata path coupled to said multimedia server configured to communicatesaid product information between said audiovisual previewing station andsaid multimedia server.
 7. A reconfigurable audiovisual previewingsystem for identifying a product of interest and for requesting from amultimedia server the presentation of product information at a remoteplayback station, the reconfigurable audiovisual previewing systemcomprising: a user interface module configured to identify said productof interest; a media communications module coupled to said userinterface module and a network management center that creates files withproduct information for distribution only to selected end clients, saidmedia communications module configured to transmit, in response to saididentification, a request to said remote playback station of a selectedend client for said product information retrieved from said multimediaserver, said media communications module including an MPEG audio player;and a plurality of application programs, wherein, in response toexecution of one of said plurality of application programs, saidreconfigurable previewing system is configured to communicate saidrequest to said remote playback station, said remote playback station,in response retrieving and presenting said product information andproduct information of a second product, the second product related tothe product of interest.
 8. The reconfigurable audiovisual previewingsystem of claim 7, wherein said user interface module comprises abarcode reader configured to scan a UPC corresponding to said product ofinterest and, in response, to transmit a formatted message to saidapplication program.
 9. The reconfigurable audiovisual previewing systemof claim 8, wherein said user interface module further comprises apluraltiy of control buttons configured to detect depression thereonand, in response, to transmit a formatted messages to said applicationprogram.
 10. The reconfigurable audiovisual previewing system of claim9, wherein said multimedia communications module comprises a TCP/IPnetwork data path coupled to said remote playback station configured tocommunicate said request between said audiovisual previewing station andsaid remote playback station.
 11. The reconfigurable audiovisualpreviewing system of claim 10, further comprising a display module tosaid user interface and to said media communications module, saiddisplay terminal configured to display video information provided withsaid product information.
 12. In a reconfigurable previewing system forproviding product information from a multimedia file server to selectedend clients, a method for providing product information related to aproduct of interest, the method comprising the steps of: loading one ofa plurality of application programs; configuring, in response to saidapplication program, said reconfigurable previewing system; identifyingsaid product of interest; retrieving said related product informationfrom said multimedia filer server, at least a portion of retrievingincluding use of an MPEG audio player; and presenting said productinformation only to a selected end client, and product information of asecond product to at least the selected end client, the second productrelated to the product of interest.
 13. The method of claim 12, whereinsaid step of presenting comprises the steps of: outputting a portion ofaudio data contained within said product information; storing a portionof audio data contained within said product information into a buffer;and loading a display terminal with video data contained within saidproduct information.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein said step ofidentifying comprises the steps of: scanning the UPC code of saidproduct of interest; and transmitting a request of said identifiedproduct of interest to said multimedia file server.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, wherein said step of configuring comprises the steps of:connecting said reconfigurable previewing system with a remote playbackstation; and opening an I/O stream between said reconfigurablepreviewing station and said remote playback station.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, wherein said step of identifying comprises the steps scanningthe UPC code of said product of interest; and transmitting from saidreconfigurable previewing station to said remote playback station amessage that said product of interest has been identified.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein said step of retrieving comprises the steps:retrieving, from said multimedia file server to said remote playbackstation, said product information; acknowledging to said reconfigurablepreviewing station said retrieval of said product information; andindicating if said product information contains video information. 18.The method of claim 17, wherein said step of outputting comprises thesteps: if said product information contains video information, providingsaid video information to said remote playback station; and if saidproduct information contains no video information, providing saidproduct information to said reconfigurable previewing system.
 19. Areconfigurable audiovisual previewing system for providing productinformation related to a product on interest from a multimedia server toa customer, the reconfigurable audiovisual previewing system comprising:user interface means for identifying said product of interest; a mediacommunications means coupled to a network management center that createsfiles with product information for distribution only to selected endclients, the media communications means transmitting, in response tosaid identification, a request for said product response to saididentification, a request for said product information stored in saidmultimedia server and for receiving and playing said product informationretrieved from said multimedia file server in response to saidtransmitted request, said media communications means including an MPEGaudio player; and a plurality of application programs, wherein, inresponse to execution of one of said application programs, saidreconfigurable previewing system communicates said product informationand product information of a second product to said customer of aselected end client, the second product related to the product ofinterest.
 20. A reconfigurable audiovisual previewing system foridentifying a product of interest and for requesting from a multimediaserver the presentation of product information at a remote playbackstation of a selected end client, the reconfigurable audiovisualpreviewing system comprising: user interface means configured foridentifying said product of interest; media communications means coupledto a network management center that creates files with productinformation for distribution only to selected end clients, the mediacommunications means transmitting, in response to said identification, arequest to said remote playback station for said product informationstored in said multimedia server, said media communications meansincluding an MPEG audio player; and a plurality of application programs;wherein in response to execution of one of said plurality of applicationprograms, said reconfigurable previewing system communicates saidrequest to said remote playback station, said remote playback station,in response retrieving and presenting said product information andproduct information of a second product, the second product related tothe product of interest.